Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A neat volume, by Eleanor Kirk, is en-
titled 'Beecher as Humorist" 1t is a
collection of brief sayings from Beecher's
| lips, and articles from his pen. 16mo.,
vellum cloth 81. Fords, Howard & HUI
| bert, New York. Beecher once said
Happy is he who has the faculty of mirth-
| fulness. 1t is more blessed than a garment
| in cold weather. There is nothing that so
covers the nerves, there is nothing that SO
| tempers anger and passion, there is nothing
| that iS such a natural cure 1or discomfort
there is nothing that brings men to such a
companionable level and creates such fell
| lowship as the divine spirit of mirth."
| The editor of the book esteemed Beecher
| to be the most spontaneous humorist that
America ever knew" This is extravagant
but that he was humorist and a remark
| ably ready one, none will deny. His mirth-
| fulness and humor was always fresh and
| never inapt but frightened the common
place. He loved fun and laughter for their
| own sake, and his private life and letters
were full of them; as public man, how
ever, he INDUCED his propensity to laugh
| ter making rather as a means than as an
| end. AS he said, he never went out of his
| way 10 make joke or to avoid one, but if
a thing struck him ludicrously he was
quite likely to fash it at his hearers in a
way to catcn their attention and make his
meaning perfectly plain. 1t was largely
| the orators art to employ wit, end TO make
| his sentences flash with humor and mirth-
| fulness. The volume before us proves this
and it discloses more clearly than any other
upon Beecher how much he relied upon
| trenchant, witty epigrams to impress his
discourse upon the nearer or reader, rather
| than upon constant heavy tread of sober
reasoning. The book is delightfully."- char
! acteristic of Beecher, one that his admirers
/ 81 ha xxy,t hat ottNo
profitably enjoy.
"Poor's Manual of Railroads." for 1887,
| is at hand from the publishers H Y. & H.
w. Poor, New York, through Bancroft &
Co., San Francisco. Like its predecessors
| for nineteen years, it is accurate, compre-
| hensive, exhaustive and impartial On
| statistical railroad matters it is complete
| book of reference, and one cannot call for
information reconstruction mile
age, earnings, freight and passenger volume,
stock and bond values and conditions, dis
| tances and the railroad industry generally,
| that this volume will not furnish. 1t is our
purpose to refer to the work in another
department hereafter, with a view of pre-
senting some of the important facts con-
| tanned in it. "Poor's Manual " has, it may
| now be said, attained so high standard of
reliability that it is not to be questioned,
and is an invaluable volume for railroad
men, and we may add for political econo-
mists and statisticians, while the men of
the business world will profit by its posses
sion. The scope of the work of course,
covers the complete year 1886 1t is shown
that up to December 81 of that year there
had been laid in the United States 137, 1851 8
miles of railroad. The increase of milage
of the calendar year 1886 was 8, 000.4S miles
rhe liabilities of the companies owning
the lines is placed at s., 376 673, S46 and the
assets at $S,54S, 315, 1888. In the Pacific
group the length of line owned
is placed at 1912; the capital stock at $780,
IA 1897 the funded debt at S219, GAG, 100;
other debts, $40, $50, 156; gross traffic earn
ings at $50, $50, GIG; net traffic earnings at
S16024, S36; interest paid, IS, 293, 056; divi-
dends paid, 81 ,939, 740. However, i'll this
tended details of the statistical exhibits,
even in totals. Valuable colored maps of
the States. showing all lines of constructed
road, are inserted between the pages.
r. G. Rutherford disposes of Henry
George by permitting Henry George to dis |
pose of himself Hence the title of his |
book, Henry George VS.. Henry George |
A Review" 1t is issued by d. Appleton & |
Co., New York, in paper covers. Mr.. |
Rutherford shows that it requires but |
careful reading of Mr.. Georges book
its author defeats himself for, AS he saws |
1t abounds in contradictions, and no parts of |
1t are in more pronounced antagonism than his /
fundamental principles. In treating his work
it is no part of the purpose to deny his facts"
or refute his theories, for all that he does him
self: and it is only necessary to bling remote ut
terances into relations of comparison, to show,
that all he builds up at one time, he pulls down
at another And the clearest conclusion of all |
is that the practical result-the inevitable con-
sequence-of his leading propositions and fay
orise maxims, would be that very poverty he SO
wildly Depicts so pathetically deprecates and |
seeks to I" abolish - to abolish by methods
which lead directly to violence and revolution |
revolution without alteration of the nature of |
man, or the conditions of the struggle Tor exist
enee, or abolition of that disparity of gifts and
powers which set up and perpetuate inequality |
in all the affairs and conditions of life. Equal
ity is dream that can never be realized. And |
it is as undesirable as it is impossible. All va
riety is but kind of inequality. 1t is the |
ground of contrast, the prime condition of indi
viduality. There must always be great and
small rich and poor, strong and weak To pre-
vent the abuse of power, to bring all more and
more under the dominion of love and justice, is
the mission of the phlanthropist and reforiner
1t is excellent
To have giants strength; but it is tyrannous
To use it like giant"
The " North American Review" for No
vember is brilliant and interesting num-
ber 1t opens with thirty-three page let
ter from Colonel Ipgersoll addressed to
Rev. DR.. Fields, whose "Open Letter. to
the great agnostic appeared in the August